Protest Hypocrisy
May 2, 2020, I went to a protest to have the governor reopen Maine from the highly restrictive COVID response for the rectification of the damage to our economy and personal liberties.
As I stood on the busy street curbside in my coronakini, the mood was jovial and pleasant for the most part. There were just a few drivebys who were unpleasant in their response to the protest. One passionate lady stuck her head out the passenger side window and proceeded to yell her outrage at what a bunch of "idiots" we were in her estimation.
It was expected that we'd have little counter-protest as those who disagreed with the protest, disagreed because they believed everyone should be staying home. The logic follows that they would stay home. And, they did. But the online response was vehement.
Just a month later, our country is, once again, in turmoil over police brutality in black communities. Protests are breaking out everywhere, including Maine, as reported, HERE and HERE
As I watch the high peeking emotional response to a life taken, I can't help but think of our passionately angry detractor. Will she venture out as a protester? Will she get in her car, roll down her passenger side window, and autistically screech at BLM protesters that they're a bunch of idiots for taking the risk of being at a large social gathering to voice their discontent? Will she stay principally consistent?
What about all those online detractors from our protest? Might some of those detractors even venture out as protesters? Will they hop on the comment sections of news coverage for the BLM protests to share their same level of disgust over what a sickeningly vulgar display of carelessness for Grandma's life they are?
Probably not.
What we're seeing is massive inconsistency in the application for the principle rights of all Americans, ie. hypocrisy.
If you shook your head a month ago, you God-damn well better be shaking it today or have the guts to admit that you're an unprincipled ideologue.
Black lives matter so, it's OK to gather in large groups, masks or no, of people not standing 6ft apart.
The virus is AMAZING! It's so smart! It cares about what "we" care about. The economy and personal liberty? Science says the virus wouldn't stop spreading for that and we were not only idiots but heartless, selfish assholes for not caring about grandma. But, BLM? Evidently, science doesn't matter for social justice and/or the virus cares deeply for black lives.
Consistent application. I support the BLM protester's right to protest. They're no more idiotic then we were, they're not heartless, selfish assholes for protesting, and neither were we. Or, we all are. But, if you were up in arms about our protest? You'd better have those arms up now.
I wonder, does our passionate detractor feel a pang of hypocrisy right now? Does she feel embarrassed over yelling at us?
Probably not, because we have become so entrenched in our ideological stands that principle consistency doesn't even touch our seared consciences anymore.
Police brutality and black lives matter to those protesting this week.
The economy and personal rights mattered to those of us protesting a month ago.
We all have a right to protest about what matters to us. You don't get to define what matters to me, and I don't get to tell you what should matter to you.
If the science doesn't bend for what matters to the individual if, the spread of the virus and keeping grandma safe was the greater moral value for our protest, it's the greater moral value for this one, or you're a God-damned hypocrite and you've lost the weight behind your moral posturing toward those taking the risks they feel matter more while in this "pandemic".